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A Recession Obsession is, 1) a meal so great that it stays in your mind long after digestion's end, and, 2) plays nice with your sensitive wallet. Is there a better place than Los Angeles to eat a wide variety of amazing food that so happens to be inexpensive? Probably not. We're as lucky as we are well fed. In our last Recession Obsessions we explored Ricky's Fish Tacos, Capitol Burgers and India Sweets and Groceries.
El Taurino Tacos is located on a corner of a 3-way stop where Hoover, Olympic and South Park View Streets converge. Its bright lights beckon, promising good eats 24 hours a day. Painted above the door is the promise: A NICE PLACE TO EAT. This is drunk food at its finest.
The menu boasts some of the once adventurous bits Angelinos have come to expect as typical: sesos, cabeza, lengua and buche. But what calls us over at 3am are the carne asada and suadero. Suadero is usually brisket, but can be a number of different cuts including flank steak. It is sometimes called falda (skirt), which along with a Spanish butchering diagram lends credence to it being flank. Some people claim it is the testicles, but that is an urban legend or they are messing with you.
The asada and suadero at El Taurino are the highest grade cuts of meat we have been served in a taqueria. No gristle, no fat, just delicous meat good enough for a steakhouse. The suadero does not have the toughness or grain of a flank or brisket. It is like pure sirloin.
The pastor, marinated pork cooked on a spit like shawarma or gyro, is also famous at El Taurino. On weekends they serve barbacoa. The salsas are burning hot and delicious. The only complaint is that the tacos are smaller than your standard soft tacos. But at $1.25 each, you can afford enough to fill you up. The higher price is worth it for the quality.
Meanwhile, hang out and trip on the stuffed and mounted bull heads and other bullfight-themed decor. When friends come from out of town and want you to take them for real LA tacos, this is the place to go.
2306 W 11th St
Los Angeles, CA 90006
Neighborhood: Pico Union
